


What the Future Holds

by SidingwiththeAngels



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental Time Travel, Adopted Children, Adoption, Aged-Up Character(s), Aromantic Asexual Pidge | Katie Holt, Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Butterfly Effect, Established Relationship, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Shiro (Voltron), Harry Potter References, Headcanon, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Foster Siblings, Kinda, Latino Lance (Voltron), M/M, Marriage, Minor Allura/Romelle (Voltron), Minor Character Death, Minor Curtis/Shiro (Voltron), Minor Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Past Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Post Season 8, Season 8 Doesn't Exist, Secrets, Slow Burn, Time Travel, space time continuum, wibbly wobbly timey wimey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2019-09-02 19:52:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16793653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SidingwiththeAngels/pseuds/SidingwiththeAngels
Summary: “Lance, don’t you dare touch it!” Pidge yelled, her orange tablet held in a death grip as she glowered at the Red Paladin. Her glasses shown with the planet’s green sun and reflected a harsh light against the arch she stood in front of.Lance stood in front of her, his pointer finger held out towards the contraption. Black as obsidian, it was no larger than a normal Earthen doorway. Blocks stuck out unevenly like Jenga pieces. Sharp corners winked at them with a tempting promise. What that promise was Pidge didn’t want to find out. Between the arch’s sides glowed a soft blue light, twinkling in the center and summoning them like a black hole’s devious little cousin. It swam and rippled teasingly in front of them and seemed to gravitate towards Lance’s outstretched finger.Come, it beckoned. See what I have to offer.“But it’s like the Mirror of Erised, Pidge!” Lance protested. “You can’t not use it!”OrLance accidentally trades places with this future self and learns more about his teammates than he was meant to know.





	1. Lead Me Not Into Temptation For I Can Find It Myself

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So I had this idea about post-season 8 where the Paladins still travel the universe (I know we don't have any info yet but whatevs) and this is part of what came of it. Enjoy!

“Lance, don’t you dare touch it!” Pidge yelled, her orange tablet held in a death grip as she glowered at the Red Paladin. Her glasses shown with the planet’s green sun and reflected a harsh light against the arch she stood in front of.

Lance stood in front of her, his pointer finger held out towards the contraption. Black as obsidian, it was no larger than a normal Earthen doorway. Blocks stuck out unevenly like Jenga pieces. Sharp corners winked at them with a tempting promise. What that promise was Pidge didn’t want to find out. Between the arch’s sides glowed a soft blue light, twinkling in the center and summoning them like a black hole’s devious little cousin. It swam and rippled teasingly in front of them and seemed to gravitate towards Lance’s outstretched finger.

_Come,_ it beckoned. _See what I have to offer._

“But it’s like the Mirror of Erised, Pidge!” Lance protested. “You can’t not use it!”

On the other side of the Red Paladin stood the alien scientist in charge of the machine, Aussilian. His pale green face and titled yellow eyes made reading his expression difficult, but even Pidge could see there was a mixture of curiosity and discomfort at the scene before him. His long, slinder finger-like appendages hovered over the machine’s control panel as the foreign language spun across the screen. His towering body almost reached the top of the arch, his forehead even with the edge of the black hole’s cousin, and his noodleish body could have fit inside four times over. His robe made of blue grass and orange wiring swayed with the rhythm of the blue light’s dancing.

“If it pleases Paladin Pidge,” he interjected, his voice sounding like broken branches rubbing against a dead tree, “the Destiny Arch can be shut down until you leave. I still have much to teach you about its components.”

Pidge felt the air leave her chest at the thought of turning off such a wonderful machine. After having freed the planet Oxx’ycloain from a group of Galra resistance, the Council had decided that they were warranted a tour. That was how they had ended up in the technology sector rooted deep in the forest. Yellow and black trees surrounded them, hiding their position from the city. The red pond just beyond the arch was even silent as if unaware of its freedom from the Galra.

The battle had been quick but difficult. Resistance Galra troops still fighting for control had thought it wise to ambush Oxx’ycloain with Voltron in the same quadrant. Entire cities were destroyed in a harried, unorganized rush to squash any communications only to be overrun by the already formed defender. While taking out the Galra themselves had seemed easy – or at least easier than normal with the frenzied attacks being messier with desperation – it had taken more control than usual to remove them from the planet’s surface. They had taken over homes, holding families hostage in frantic attempts for the Paladins to leave. It had only been due to Shiro’s quick thinking aboard the Atlas II that had freed them with the only casualty being the singed edge of Hunk’s headband.

Now the other casualty was Pidge’s sanity.

The Destiny Arch, roughly translated by the Lions’ interpretations, was the Oxx’ycloains most prized project and the main reason the Galra had attacked. According to Aussilian, they were attempting to make a breach between the future and the present so as to prevent upcoming wars, famine, or even planet destruction. It was meant to work like a mirror. Whoever touched the blue light would have the ability to see what the future held for them…within a certain year range. Aussilian had yet to test the machine but had been more than willing to share his knowledge with Pidge as her excitement overwhelmed his wariness.

Now that wariness was back as Lance was inching closer to being the first test subject.

Pidge was also the only one holding Lance back from doing something completely idiotic. The other Paladins had split off to do their own adventuring.

Shiro and Hunk had tagged along with Coran to see what the Oxx’ycloains could offer in terms of help with the Atlas II. Even thought Commander Holt and the engineers at the Garrison had done a wonderful job miniaturizing the Atlas blueprints for the Paladins, it still didn’t hold up to the Castle of Lions. They still struggled to make complete wormhole jumps, especially as they were relying on Shiro and his new arm’s technology rather than Allura’s magic to make the ship run.

Allura and Keith had split off to ensure that the Council didn’t require any other assurances before agreeing to join the Voltron Coalition. While it did expand nearly the entire universe now with the Galra empire in shambles, it was still an alliance that Allura wanted to keep strong. If Voltron fell into the wrong hands, if another empire rose, if the Paladins fell in battle and needed replacements, she knew that they needed all the allies they could get. Allies in peacetime were easier to come by than allies in war.

That left Pidge and Lance. Lance had been rather bored the entire time Aussilian explained the Destiny Arch to the Green Paladin. He heard something about bricks made of leaves and special wiring for the blue light, maybe? It wasn’t that he was stupid; he was just incredibly uninterested in the engineering behind this thing. That was Hunk’s realm. But then Aussilian had mentioned the word ‘future’, and Lance’s attention snapped back to the present.

“The future, you say?” Lance had said with a raised eyebrow and a smile that made Pidge already defensive. He pointed his slender finger towards the arch and teased a poke towards the light.

Which led to Pidge screaming at him and now having the air sucked out of her lungs at the thought that Lance, of all people, would be the cause of shutting down this wonderful device.

“No need,” Pidge replied. “Let me…dispose of Lance first then we can continue.”

“Hey!” Lance turned on his heels towards the Green Paladin, looking down at her with an offended look. “I wasn’t going to _actually_ touch it! You have so little faith in me, Pidgeon. I know not to touch untested tech.”

“Who almost burned down the Garrison kitchen with Hunk’s unfinished toaster on our last trip home?” Pidge shot back.

“Keith’s fault.”

“Who thought it would be a _grand_ idea to switch the Atlas II’s Altean crystal with a crystal that we aren’t even sure is from a Balmera?”

“Iverson’s fault?”

“Who’s fault is it that – “

“Paladin Pidge,” Aussilian cut in, his voice soothing even with the breaking twigs crackling between d’s, “we can return another time if you so wish. The Council has planned a celebration in your honor, and we do not wish for you to leave us so soon. There is still time.”

Pidge’s grip on her tablet eased slightly at the idea. If she could just have help restraining Lance or distracting him elsewhere, she could finally get a look at this Destiny Arch. The air returned to her lungs slowly until her capillaries no longer felt like committing suicide.

“I can do that,” she replied. She gave Aussilian a flashing smile then put her tablet away. She turned towards Lance, ready to drag him away by the front of his armor, when a loud _crunch_ sounded behind her. Spinning on her heels, she pulled out her bayard and dropped into a crouching position. She heard Lance’s bayard _zip_ and knew she had a rifle just over her head.

“Hey guys!” a familiar voice shouted, resonating through the forest. Hunk blended in so well with yellow and black trees that it took Pidge a moment to understand where he was coming from.

With an aggravated sigh, Pidge dropped her bayard to her side again and watched as Hunk and Shiro traipsed through the trees. Soon after them, Keith and Allura came into view.

“Did you learn anything cool?” Hunk asked, his brown eyes wide and frozen on the Destiny Arch. His grin was blinding just as Pidge’s glasses were, but the green light made it look as if he’d eaten a bowl of goo and forgot to clean up after himself.

“No because _someone_ can’t keep their hands to themselves.” She shot a glare at Lance who was looking back at the Arch. His hands were by his sides, but that didn’t make Pidge feel any better.

“You could have tied him to a tree,” Keith offered, throwing a smirk at Lance’s back. “That keeps him occupied for a while.”

Even though his back was to the group, Pidge could see Lance’s ears grow red and she could almost feel the heat emanating off his face. She sniggered to herself.

“That was one time, Mullet!” Lance yelled but didn’t turn to face anyone. His eyes were still fixed to the blue light.

Pidge was a little concerned with how transfixed Lance was. If the Arch was working, then could Lance see the future? Was he actually trying to live two timelines at once? Or was he just admiring the shade of blue that looked like an ocean?

The other Paladins seemed to notice his fascination as well. Hunk shot Pidge a raised eyebrow and worried look, but she didn’t say anything. Allura glanced at Keith and Shiro before taking a step forward. Then she seemed to change her mind and stepped backwards again. It was finally Keith who took the initiative. As quietly as ever, Keith stepped forward and put his hand on Lance’s shoulder.

Lance jumped. Not just jumped but almost _convulsed_ with fear. His head shook, his arms jerked, and his legs danced in an uncomfortable fashion. Pidge would have laughed had it not been for his next step.

Lance’s foot landed on a rock. His balance unbalanced, he titled towards the Arch. Keith made to grab for him but missed and instead brushed his fingers along the back of Lance’s armor. Then the Red Paladin turned, his eyes wide with fear, as he tipped backwards into the veil.

He disappeared.

“LANCE!” Keith screamed, his fingers still outstretched towards the veil.

The forest was silent. The blue light was still, a solid wall of light taunting them between the black arches. The only sound Pidge could hear was Keith’s heavy panty, Allura’s gasp, and Hunk’s quiet, “No, no, no, no, no!”

She turned to face Aussilian. His face had blanched. His usual soft green pallor had turned almost a faint yellow. His thin lips were agape as he stared at the arch. When he turned to face her, Pidge could see that there were no words. Aussilian was at a loss, just as they were.

Before any of them could ask or yell or even break down, a blinding blue light shot out through the forest. Pidge’s eyes closed so tightly that she could feel the stars bursting behind her eyelids. She heard gasps and a cry of pain but didn’t dare open her eyes. Then the stars stopped bursting and another gasp rang in her ears.

Opening her eyes, Pidge saw that where Lance had been before lay a tall man in a red shirt and black lounge pants. His dark brown hair was close-cropped and fading into nothingness along the sides. His rich brown skin was littered with small scars along his face and arms, painting the darkness with white lines. His eyes were closed but fluttered under his eyelids, resisting the need to wake. Arms stretched up over his head and a groan escaped his throat. After another moment, the man finally sat up, his eyes still closed, and he let out a haggard sigh.

“Babe, get your dog out of – “ At that moment, his eyes opened, lazy and clouded with sleep. Then he took in the Paladins in front of him, the shocked faces, Allura’s hands hiding her mouth, Hunk’s hair being pulled out, Keith frozen with his arm still in the air. The man’s eyes flashed to life. “Quiznak.”

In a flash, three bayards were out and pointed at the man. Shiro’s arm hovered just behind Allura, his fist clenched and ready to strike. Only Hunk didn’t move.

“Who are you?” Allura asked sharply, her whip at the ready.

The man chuckled and stood up, completely unfazed by the weapons in front of him. He stretched a little before facing the Paladins again with an exasperated look.

“You are just as beautiful as I remember, Princess,” he chuckled. Then he turned to the rest and gave a crooked smile.

Hunk let out a gasp.

“Lance?”

“The one and only,” Lance replied.


	2. Through the Veil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets are meant to be spread, right? Especially when not everyone knows how to keep secrets.

Blue light filtered through Lance’s eyelids. He tried to squeeze the light out, but it only increased the brightness as stars flickered into view. With a groan, he finally opened them and found himself staring at the beige metal ceiling of a bedroom. It was only then that he realized he was no longer lying on the forest floor of Oxx’yoclain but in a very familiar bed setting among the Atlas II.

 _Someone carried me back?_ he thought. But if someone brought him back, why wasn’t he in the medbay? Why had they let him be alone in his room after –

After what?

Lance remembered a blinding blue light and the look on Keith’s face as he fell. But he couldn’t remember where he fell. He couldn’t remember the pain of falling or the sound of Keith’s scream. All he could remember was a bright blue light engulfing him in a cool comfort that scared him. Usually blue meant water or air. Usually, blue meant warmth and comfort to Lance, reminding him of home and Earth and beaches.

But this blue was terrifying.

This blue was an engulfing cool that neither froze nor warmed the Red Paladin. It paralyzed him. He remembered falling and not being able to turn or fight. He remembered wanting to scream for help and finding that his mouth wouldn’t move.

Then black replaced blue, and beige replaced black.

Before Lance could figure out what had happened, the door to his room opened with a soft _swoosh._ He looked over to see man who looked like a shorter version of Shiro walk into the room. His black shirt stretched unfairly over his muscular chest. Thighs as thick as tree trunks were hugged by black pants. A red leather jacket like a motorcycle jacket hung over one shoulder as the man held it loosely with a finger by the color. Black hair was braided down the middle of his head and swept over his shoulder to his chest. The sides of his head were shaved clean, and Lance briefly wondered how much gel it would take to make all that hair into a mohawk. Then he got a better grip on himself as the smile on the man’s face was instantly replaced with surprise.

“Lance?” he asked, his purple eyes flashing as he looked over Lance’s armor-clad body. The jacket fell from his finger as his once relaxed posture was now taut. “W-What happened to you?”

Lance sat up, his muscles seizing up in fear. He reached for his bayard and held it in front of him as he stared at the man.

“Who are you?” he asked as his bayard formed into a gun. “Where am I?”

“You’re on the Atlas II,” the man replied, his voice stilted. “I’m your – It’s me, Keith.”

Lance stared for a moment, taking in the man in front of him and thinking of the Keith he just saw screaming at him. Then he burst out laughing.

“This isn’t funny, Pidge!” he cried, almost screaming, through his laughter. “Put the hologram away! Stop!”

The man – Keith stepped forward, a gloved hand outstretched in front of him.

“Lance,” he said quietly but firmly, “Pidge isn’t here. This isn’t a hologram. It’s really me. You’re – I think – Did you touch the Destiny Arch?”

The Destiny Arch. That did sound familiar. He thought for a moment, trying to think of something beyond the fear and his trembling hands. (He wouldn’t admit it, but his hands weren’t just trembling with fear; whatever version of Keith this was was _unfairly_ attractive.)

“Y-yeah,” he stammered as he tried to keep his gaze somewhere above Keith’s neck. That was hard. How could the moody, scowling, mullet-headed Keith turn into _this_ wet dream on legs? Which wasn’t even fair seeing as even his legs were the things of wet dreams. When? Why? Why was the universe so cruel as to force Lance to come to terms with his attraction to his leader and teammate with this-this-this _model_?

This version of Keith seemed to notice Lance’s internal dilemma and chuckled. He bent over to pick up his jacket then shrugged it on, covering his arms and a good portion of his chest. Lance wanted to protest at the same time that he could feel himself breathe just a little easier. Keith swept his braid over his shoulder then stepped towards the young Red Paladin. The door _swooshed_ behind him, finally cutting them off from whatever else was lurking outside.

“Some things haven’t changed,” Keith murmured as he sat next to Lance on the bed. He bent forward and leaned on his forearms on his thighs. If only he could cover his face then Lance could pretend he’d never seen this maybe-Keith.

“Am I dreaming?” Lance blurted out. He stared at the older man for a split moment before biting his lips shut. Suddenly, the beige walls were more interesting than the way Keith’s purple eyes flashed at him. He didn’t want to see how the pink scar on his cheek disappeared behind a dimple or how the purple markings curving up towards his eyes crinkled. He definitely didn’t want to see if this version of Keith had tiny fangs because that was one potential kink too many to handle at the moment.

“That would make a lot more sense than what’s happened,” Keith replied. He kept his eyes on the young Paladin and watched as Lance’s emotions were written all over his face. “But no. You touched a piece of untested alien technology and were transported ten years into the future. Right now – “

“Ten years?!” Lance cried, turning his bewildered gaze back to Keith. He was too distracted by this bit of information to be distracted by Keith’s quirking eyebrow. “¡Dios mio! How? It was just supposed to be like-like the Mirror – “

“Of Erised, yeah, I know,” Keith cut in. “You’ve said that…a time or two. We never really figured out what went wrong. Pidge used to think it was your fault, that you were too greedy for the future, and the Arch knew it couldn’t answer your questions. But it’s happened a couple times since then to others who weren’t as…inquisitive as you are.”

Lance sat in silence for a tick as he just stared, wide-eyed and mouth agape.

“Am I still with Voltron?” he asked suddenly. Then he felt stupid. There were about five-hundred _other_ questions he wanted to ask first, like about his family, future and present; like if he ever got to see his sister Veronica get that promotion in the Garrison; like if he ever got that apology from Iverson like his Keith had gotten. But it seemed that Voltron was first on his mind.

Keith laughed. A full, head-thrown back, chest-rumbling laugh that Lance had only seen once or twice. It filled the room with a sound so pure and joyous that it rivaled even Hunk’s most wondrous laughs. His skin tingled with warmth and his lips turned upward as the infectious laugh died out.

“Yeah, you’re still with Voltron,” Keith chuckled. “Still Red Paladin.” Then his smile fell and his eyebrows furrowed together. “I’m not actually sure how much I can tell you without changing the past.” He sighed and looked to the door. “We should probably get Coran to ask. But that does mean you may see the others and…” His eyes widened ever so slightly at whatever he stopped himself from saying.

“Great!” Lance cried as he pushed himself off the bed. “Let’s go see Coran! It’s good to know he’s still hanging around with us.”

Before Keith could stop him, Lance bounded towards the door, stumbling over a pile of clothes he hadn’t seen before. He didn’t pay any attention to them now other than they were in shades of purple and green that he wasn’t aware anyone wore. But it didn’t matter now. Right now, he wanted to see Coran and figure out how to get the quiznak home.

Skidding out into the corridor, Lance noticed that the other rooms weren’t right next to his. He was so used to having the small enclave be filled with doorways leading to the other Paladins’ rooms that it was disconcerting. There was only one door here now. It was a little further away and in the middle of the semi-circular enclave. Lance was tempted to walk over and find out what it led to. If this was _his_ Atlas II, it would have been Hunk’s room. But it was missing the doors to Pidge’s and Keith’s and Shiro’s rooms.

Behind him, Keith caught up and put a hand on Lance’s shoulder. The Red Paladin looked over his shoulder to see he was eye-level with Keith. That wasn’t possible! When he last checked, Keith only reached the tip of his nose. (Their last trip home had caused Lance to go through another growth spurt, which Coran had theorized was what Lance and the others had been lacking due to their oppressive time in space.)

Shaking himself of those thoughts – he was already homesick again – Lance pointed towards the other door. “Whose room is that?”

Keith glanced at the solitary door. “That’s…our newest acquisition to the team,” he replied. His voice was careful and controlled. That clearly told Lance he wasn’t supposed to know who lived in this hallway.

Lance turned back to the room he just left. “Then whose room is that?”

“That’s o – yours.” Keith didn’t meet his eyes. He turned towards the corridor, let go of Lance’s shoulder, and started making his way towards where Lance assumed was the bridge.

Surprisingly, Lance had to jog to keep up. While Keith’s legs weren’t as long as Lance’s, he did have a powerful walk that made it even more evident just how thick they were. Which only brought Lance’s eyes up to –

_Nope. Not going there._

He kept his gaze over Keith’s shoulder as they turned the corner. Through the open doorway ahead, he could just make out the kitchen and heard a familiar humming amongst the pans clanging.

“Is that Hunk?” Lance asked, his smile immediately taking over his face. He forgot all about Coran or secrecy or whatever. Peeling away from Keith, Lance ran over to the kitchen and slipped inside before the other man could even stop him.

In front of him was a man Lance barely recognized. He was taller than Shiro and just a bit broader. His dark skin looked like cream and chocolate had mixed in the perfect Hunk-like mould. His black hair was long and held back in a ponytail at the base of his skull. A thick, trimmed beard lined the rounded jaw that moved with the words he began softly singing. But his dark brown eyes were just as soft and warm as Lance remembered…from today?

“Hunk?” he asked, almost unsure now.

The man spun on his heels, smiling at them. Then the smile quickly fell. His eyes flickered between the young Paladin and Keith. “Destiny Arch?” he asked.

“Yep,” Keith replied.

Hunk’s surprise seeped away with a sigh. Then he smiled at Lance again and shook his head.

“I’d almost forgotten about that,” he said with a small chuckle. “It took me a long time to put that behind me, man. But hey, you’re here, and you’re also there. Have you seen Ko – “

“Coran? No,” Keith cut in. “Trying to find him and ask some questions. Have you seen him?”

“Uh, I think he was in the medbay with Pidge just a varga ago. Shiro’s arm is acting up again. Matt was with them too.”

“Matt’s here? What for?” Lance asked as he looked over at Keith.

“That is a wonderful question that we’ll see if Coran will let us answer.” Keith gripped both of Lance’s shoulders and started guiding him out of the kitchen. Lance was a little unbalanced by the move, and by the fact that Keith was even touching him at all, especially _this_ Keith.

Stumbling, Lance let himself be pulled from the kitchen and shot an enthusiastic, “Bye, Hunk!”

Keith didn’t let go of Lance until they were close to the bridge. By then, Lance had dug his feet into the metal floors to stabilize himself. He was a bit tired of being pushed around.

“Okay, man!” Lance pushed away from Keith, accidentally stumbling into the wall. He kept himself there, hands splaying on the cool metal wall as if to push himself away at a moment’s notice. “Stop manhandling me.”

Keith stalled for a tick, trying to think of something to say. Then his pale skin flushed slightly and he managed a soft, “Sorry. I forget…”

“Forget what?”

A beat of silence.

“That you’re not my – our Lance.”

Lance blinked. “What in the universe does that mean?”

Keith sighed and stuck his hands in his jacket pocket. Lance could see that it was almost torturous for this Keith to have to take his hands away. “Just that some things have changed in the past ten years. You’re a bit more…tactile in the years to come.”

“Dude, I’m _always_ tactile.”

“But not with everyone. You had – have reservations.”

“Well, yeah. My mama taught all her kids respect. I’m not going to go around touching people who don’t want me to. You know, like you.”

Keith laughed again, but it wasn’t the same as the full-bodied laugh from earlier. It still brought warmth to Lance in a way that he didn’t completely understand.

“Okay, I’ll give you that,” the older man conceded. “I wasn’t the most…responsive individual when I was younger – “

“That’s one way to say it,” Lance grumbled.

“ – but things have changed. Can’t really say what yet – “

“Ugh,” Lance groaned. The back of his head hit the cold wall with a _thunk_ and bounced slightly. “Then let’s go find Coran so you can start telling me _something.”_ He pushed himself off the wall then looked expectantly at Keith. “If Coran says that nothing will change, I expect for you to tell me _everything.”_

Keith’s expression wasn’t promising, but the slight nod he gave was enough for Lance to start moving again. The older man followed in silence.

When the last turn revealed the medbay door, Lance felt himself overcome with a mixture of anxiety and excitement. What if Coran said they had to isolate him until they found a way to send him home? What if Coran let Keith tell him everything and his future wasn’t as great as he was expecting? What if –

There were too many ‘what ifs’ to comprehend. They were swarming his mind and his airways. It took Keith’s hand on the small of his back to bring him back into the present and realize that he had stopped in the hallway. He looked up to see Keith’s soft expression and quirked eyebrow asking that silent question.

“Let’s find Coran,” the Red Paladin said with an unconvincing smile. Then he stepped forward, immediately missing the head of Keith’s touch.

The medbay was almost exactly the same as it had been the last time Lance had needed to be there. Same medicinally white walls. Same white cots. Same Garrison healing pod. But there were a few differences. A large blue stain covered the corner of a cot. The healing pod had a few dents in the end, looking like someone had kicked it over and over again. It had been well-used and paid its due for it.

Sitting square in the middle of the medbay were four very familiar faces.

Underneath a messy patch of greying orange hair was the still well-moustached Coran. He had hardly change. His Altean markings wer a little darker and his uniform had been switched for a typical Garrison officer uniform, but otherwise, he was the same Space Uncle Lance knew so well.

Kneeling next to him was a person Lance had to stare at to determine just which Holt child it was. But the large glasses and intense copper eyes staring at Shiro’s arm let him know that it was Pidge. Her caramel hair was long on one side, just past her shoulder, and cropped short on the other. He could see a scar trailing from the crown of her head down to her ear, interrupting the pattern of hair growth that had once been there. Her fingers were deft and quick as she pulled apart the crystal-powered arm. She couldn’t have been much older than twenty-seven, twenty-five at the least. In comparison to the others in the room, she still looked like a child.

Sitting under Pidge’s scrutinous gaze was another person who had barely changed. Still as buff as ever with short white hair was the former Black Paladin himself. His pale skin had a few extra scars along his chin and forehead, but Lance didn’t think it diminished his attractiveness at all. His blue-white Garrison tech arm was separated at the elbow still with his forearm in Pidge’s hands. The shoulder piece was slightly pulled apart with a few pieces in the hands of the last person, who Lance had to assume was Matt Holt.

Similar to Pidge, Matt’s hair was longer than he’d last seen it, pulled back in a low pony-tail that reached down his back. A smaller section than Pidge’s had been shaved off to mirror his sister, Lance assumed, but without the large scar. From behind, Matt seemed to still be wearing his rebellion armor rather than anything the Garrison had issued or anything Coran would have managed to dig up. His fingers were carefully tugging at a wire as he muttered to himself. Then he said something a little louder that Lance didn’t catch.

“Matt, if you say anything that disrespectful to technology in my presence again, I will eject you from Green in the deepest part of space I can find,” Pidge threatened. But her voice was even and sounded as if she’d just asked someone to pass the salt at the dinner table. That alone was frightening to Lance. When his sister Veronica had perfected it, he knew he was wandering into dangerous territory with her. Now that this tiny gremlin in charge of their tech had perfected it meant that Lance was never safe. Ever. Again.

Keith cleared his throat as he entered, completely ignoring how his brother’s arm was in pieces amongst his team. Maybe this was frequent? Or maybe Lance’s predicament was worse than this? Lance had another few hundred questions pop up, but they all vanished as he saw four pairs of eyes, and Pidge’s glass reflection, look over at him. He froze in place as those four people looked at them with surprise, amazement in Matt’s case.

“It happened!” he and Pidge shouted at the same time.

“What did it feel like? How long did it take to get here?” Pidge asked, abandoning Shiro’s arm as she rushed over to Lance. She was taller than he was expecting, coming up to his chin now. And, without being creepy, Lance noticed that she’d finally, well, _developed._ If it hadn’t been for the fact that she was unofficially his sister, he probably would have hit on her. But it was Pidge, and she terrified him, and he loved her more than any pick-up line could portray. So he left it alone to instead step away from her excitement.

Matt ran up behind her, Shiro’s arm pieces still in his hand. “What do you remember? Have any of your memories changed yet? Did you get to see what the inside of the veil looks like?

Lance tried to take another step backwards but found the solid wall that was Keith. He would have gripped behind himself, maybe even hold onto Keith, if it had been just anyone else. Even in this freaky future timeline. Anyone but Keith. He opened his mouth to answer but found nothing coming out.

“I don’t think I’ve told him enough to change anything, guys,” Keith said, saving Lance from Pidge’s ferocious scrutiny. She’d turned her gaze up to the man behind him.

“I don’t think it’s too wise to tell him much of anything, Keith my boy,” Coran interjected. Now that he was a little closer, Lance could see that there were a couple more pronounce wrinkles along the corner of his eyes. Even his moustache had a few grey strands in the mix.

“That’s what I’d figured,” Keith sighed. “But he’s seen everyone except Allura, Romelle, and Ko – um, our newest teammate. Seeing us won’t change anything, right?”

“I wouldn’t think so,” Coran answered, but his fingers were already twirling his moustache. Thinking hard twirling. “Vital information may indeed disrupt the timeline, but it may be easy to forget how we have all changed.”

“We still need to be careful,” Shiro said from his place on the cot. He hadn’t moved much other than to stabilize his immobilized arm. He gave Lance one of his genuinely charming smiles that used to make him turn to jelly. But it had a paternal turn to it now, as if Shiro had finally started seeing Lance as someone to take care of. It reminded him of the looks Keith would get when they were younger. Did he still get those? Was Keith still under Shiro’s wing, or had he finally let their Black Paladin run free? “I would rather not tear apart Voltron depending on what Lance knows.”

“Knowing Hunk can finally grow a beard will tear apart Voltron?” Lance asked sarcastically, finally finding a bit more confidence. He still stood close to Keith, and he told himself he did it in case Pidge got out of control in her excitement. Yeah, that was a good excuse. “Shiro, my man, the only thing that will do is make his dad proud. I think the only thing that would change is that I can’t make fun of Keith’s mullet anymore.”

Shiro gave Keith a look that Lance couldn’t interpret. It also was so brief that he would have missed it if he hadn’t already been looking at the former Black Paladin.

“In any case,” Shiro continued, “let’s all be careful.”

“C’mon,” Lance whined. He was already sick of the secrecy, and he’d only been in this timeline for half a varga. What was so bad that he couldn’t know about it? “Tell me at least one juicy tidbit! I gotta know if the future is even worth it!”

“We get to go home to Earth once a year,” Keith supplied. “Eighteen months at most if we don’t get sucked into another black hole.”

Lance turned to face him. He was almost satisfied with that answer, knowing that he wouldn’t have to miss _quite_ so much on Earth, but he could sense that that wasn’t what Keith really wanted to let him know. His eyes narrowed at the older man even as Pidge cut in.

“Yeah, but unfortunately, we’ve picked up a couple of passengers the last trip.” She purposefully elbowed Matt in the ribs so hard that even his armor couldn’t block the pain. Lance saw him wince and winced in sympathy.

“You had every opportunity to tell me to shove off,” Matt argued as he rubbed his ribs. “But I do seem to remember that you asked me to come. Strictly to monitor Shiro’s arm, of course.”

Pidge rolled her eyes so far into her head that Lance lost all sight of her copper irises.

“Okay, so we keep the Atlas II,” Lance said, counting on his fingers, “go back to Earth, and take Matt onto the team. Is that it? Is that all you can tell me?”

“It’s probably best – “ Keith started.

A scream cut through, bouncing out of the corridor and reverberating into the medbay. Lance immediately went on the defensive, bayard in hand. But no one else moved. Well, Keith’s eyes widened, but otherwise, everyone else ignored the scream.

“What was that?” Lance exclaimed.

“Our newest teammate,” Keith said evasively. He turned on his heels just as the sound of pattering feet and a giggle came around the corner.

Lance watched as a little purple and green _something_ came flying into the medbay and attached itself to Keith’s leg. A much larger blur came into view just a second later, a blur that Lance recognized as Romelle. She looked just the same as she had before except her long hair was braided into a large, tight bun on the crown of her head. She doubled over, putting her hands on her knees, and panted as she looked apologetically at Keith.

“I do apologize, Keith,” she panted. “I know how much you wished for the morning to be peaceful, but – “

“It has been anything but peaceful, Romelle,” Keith chuckled. He turned towards the figure standing behind him. “It’s okay. Thanks for trying.” When he turned back to face Lance, he had a child in his arms.

Not just any child but a _Galra_ child. The child looked no more than six by human standards and vaguely masculine. It was hard to tell when there were Galra like Lotor hanging about, making gender amongst aliens difficult. Assuming that this little one was a boy, Lance noticed how the boy’s ears, feline and long and extremely purple, twitched and tickled the underside of Keith’s jaw. His cheeks had straight lines from eyes to jaw and pencil thin. His eyes were yellow and black, just like Krolia’s, but that was where any resemblance ended. He had very sharp canines, a rounded jaw with a layer of baby fat, and small purple talon-like fingers that clutched at Keith’s jacket. His lime green shirt and torn jeans reminded Lance of something he would have worn on Earth. In an objective way, Lance found the boy cute. He looked kind of like someone had tried to turn a human child into a cat for Halloween. The little boy’s eyes didn’t leave Lance’s face as he tugged on Keith’s jacket.

“Daddy, who is this?” he asked, his voice crisp and more eloquent than Lance was expecting.

“Keith,” Shiro warned, but Keith’s eyes were on Lance and the boy alone. He seemed to have blocked out or forgotten anything that was just said as he opened his mouth to reply.

“Koli, this is…Lance,” Keith said carefully, his eyes flickering between the little boy and Lance. “Lance, this is o – my son, Kolivan.”

“Lance?” Kolivan asked, his ears twitching rapidly.

“Hi, Koli,” Lance said, his voice weaker than he meant it to be. Really, he just wanted to scream, _You have a child?!_ at Keith, but with said child in the room, he didn’t want to scare him or even offend Keith for now. He cleared his throat and tried again. “So you’re Keith’s kid, huh? How much does that suck?”

Koli’s eyes widened and glowed as he looked up at Keith with worry. “Daddy, what happened? Why did he shrink?”

“Who, me?” Lance asked. “Let me tell you, buddy, I didn’t shrink – “

But Kolivan wasn’t listening. He tugged again at Keith’s jacket more insistently this time even as Shiro tried to pry him away with one hand. Even Coran was trying to separate father and child.

“Daddy, what happened to Papí?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next we'll see how Older Lance is dealing with the Young Paladins!


	3. Butterfly Effect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while to get. I kept writing stuff I didn't like. Then I had a wedding to go to, a customer harrassed me at work to the point of paranoia and calling corporate, I'm writing 3 other Klance fanfictions, Season 8 happened, it's the holiday season, I'm crushing on a straight coworker (wtf universe??), and now I'm sick. But hey, here's to the chapter! Enjoy! I'm hoping to get the next one up before Christmas.

Lance looked around the bridge of the Atlas II with such a fond, nostalgic look that Hunk was sure couldn’t be replicated by any other being in the universe. He knew he would never be able to describe it well enough for justice or even comprehension. Lance’s blue eyes flashed as he looked over their pilot seats and the crystal powering the ship. With his hands on his hips, Lance stepped towards the Red Paladin chair and sighed wistfully at it.

“It’s been a while since this place was so clean,” he said to no one in particular.

“Excuse me, we keep a very tight ship around here,” Allura protested, her arms tight over her chest.

Hunk noticed that she was still very wary of this Lance, even if Pidge and Hunk had already vetted for him. The pre-planned questions they’d come up with after shooting off into space, in case of cloning or mind-washing, had cleared this man of being anything but Lance. He’d even thrown in a few pick-up lines that Hunk hadn’t heard before. But they were just as horrible as his usual ones. The Yellow Paladin wanted nothing more than to ask his now older best friend everything there was to know about the future. At the same time, his gut told him to throw this man back into the Destiny Arch and get his younger best friend home safe.

The problem was that the Destiny Arch had shut down the moment this older version of Lance had come through. The blue light had dissipated, and the black blocks had stopped their tempting twinkling. Aussilian had even had trouble getting a sort of diagnostic report to work.

_“It seems that the Destiny Arch requires a recharge before we can attempt anything,” he explained sorrowfully. Even though none of the Paladins had yet to yell at him or blame him, the poor Oxxy’cloain had taken the guilt hard as his yellow eyes followed Lance around._

_Then, in the quickest movement Hunk had ever experienced, Keith lunged at Aussilian. But before hand or blade could touch the alien, the Black Paladin was on the ground under Lance’s bare foot with the wind knocked out of him. Purple eyes flashed in surprise as the older man laughed._

_“Well, that didn’t change,” Lance said. “Still predictable in your unpredictable, Samurai.”_

_Keith stared up at Lance. “How did you do that?” he breathed._

_“Lose your bayard enough times, you find another way to fight.” Lance took his foot off Keith’s chest and offered his hand. Once Keith took it, Lance pulled him up with surprising strength and almost caused the Black Paladin to fall again. “Besides, that’s the only time in my life I’ve done that move on you successfully! I’m counting it as a win! Point one for future Lance!”_

_“Isn’t that cheating?” Hunk asked, but Pidge cut him off._

_“Okay, future Lance, seeing as you’ve already been through this, doesn’t this mean you’ll be able to help Aussilian fix the Destiny Arch?” she asked hurriedly. “Show us how it works!”_

_Lance gave her a guilty look and rubbed at the back of his neck. His shirt rose up a little, exposing a long scar along his lower abdomen. It only raised more questions for Hunk about the future. Did healing pods not work anymore?_

_“I don’t know the exact science,” Lance admitted. “It has been ten years, after all. But I do remember that it takes a few days to recharge. So, you’re kinda stuck with me, Pidgeon.”_

_“Ten years?” Shiro asked. “How do you figure that?”_

_“Well, it’s my seven-year anniversary today,” Lance recalled. His face lit up with a happiness that was unfathomable. Hunk hadn’t even seen that much joy when they had returned to Earth. “And seeing as it took about three years for that bonehead to propose, I’m assuming it’s been ten years.”_

_“You’re_ married _?” Keith asked. His voice broke as he stared wide-eyed at the older man. Then he cleared his throat and added, “What idiot would marry you?”_

_Lance gave Keith a knowing but sad look. His eyes shone with sorrow as his lips turned upwards into a smile. “A very boneheaded poor sap, that’s who,” he replied softly. Then he turned back to the other Paladins and clapped his hands together resolutely. “Let’s get outta here, shall we? I’m sure these wonderful scientists would like to figure out how to get me home, and I for one woke up before breakfast.”_

Now they stood aboard the bridge of the Atlas II watching as this older version of their friend criticized their ship.

Lance laughed. “Oh, you still run a tight ship, Princess,” he admitted, “it’s just that we have a…few new members who can’t put their toys away. I don’t remember the last time my seat wasn’t covered in food goo or some other sticky crud.”

“You mean the food doesn’t get any better?” Hunk whined.

Lance shrugged. “It does and it doesn’t. Just depends on our rations. I remember this one time, Shiro – “

“And that’s where the stories end,” Shiro cut in. His tech arm was held up like a stop sign, and his dark eyes shone with a warning. “We don’t want to affect the future too much. It’s already dangerous as it is.”

“Well, you’ve got me there,” Lance conceded, but he didn’t look too down about it. “I kinda like the life I’ve got. It would be just like me to do something to mess that up.”

“Princess, the Oxxy’cloain crystal is working wonders in the –“ Coran rounded the corner into the bridge and stopped mid-step at the sight before him. His eyes widened. His mouth went slack. Whatever was in his hand had fallen with a loud _clang!_ But none of this deterred Lance.

“Coran, Coran, the gorgeous man!” he chanted with a laugh. He made his way through the Paladins and clapped his hands on Coran’s shoulders. “Man, I haven’t seen you this orange in a few years! Now help me remember: are we in a time before or after I showed you the ‘wonders’ of Succenalian skin-care?”

“Uh, before?” Hunk supplied when Coran didn’t answer. His blue eyes were wide and planted on Lance’s face.

“Ah, well,” Lance clapped Coran’s shoulders again, “then here’s a tidbit for you, my friend: stay away from it. It’ll – “

“Lance.” Shiro’s parenting voice cut across Lance’s excitement. The now oldest member of the team had the gall to look slightly guilt for a split tick.

“Okay, but this info is going to save Coran a bunch of headaches, Shiro,” Lance argued. But the dark eyes didn’t ease their warning glare, so Lance conceded with a sigh. “Fine. But stay away. Now, can we move on to breakfast? I was supposed to get this wonderful meal this morning…”

Lance made his way around Coran and into the hallway, not waiting for the other Paladins to catch up or even stop him.

Not that any of them tried.

Once Coran had unfrozen himself from his shock, he looked at the others and exclaimed, “What the quiznak did you all do on that planet?”

“Lance touched some untested tech, and now I’m assuming he switched places with a version of himself from the future,” Pidge explained, not looking up from her tablet. “It seems that the Destiny Arch’s power grid is a bit too powerful for the Oxxy’cloain’s intentions. Touching the Arch should have given the user glimpses of the future, not a complete switch. This could heavily impact the scientific boundaries as we know them. Just imagine what someone could do with that technology if it’s in the wrong hands. Imagine if someone tried to go back in time to revive or keep the Galra empire from collapsing.”

“Imagine what Lance is doing in the future to mess it up,” Keith supplied grumpily.

“You can’t really say that when you’re checking out what his future looks like,” Pidge smirked to herself and shot a glance over at the Black Paladin.

Keith’s entire face had lit up like a Farnovian star. He glowered at Pidge, his purple eyes flashing with the knowledge that he’d just been called out on something very private. Clenching his fists, he opened his mouth to try and retort, but nothing came out. Then he gave up and crossed his arms over his chest.

“It is very shocking to see Lance develop in such a way,” Allura commented, saving Keith from having all the attention. “I was unaware that humans could change that much in such a short amount of time.”

“Ten years is a long time to humans, Princess,” Shiro corrected. Unlike Pidge and Hunk, Shiro hadn’t gawked or smirked at Keith’s embarrassment. He kept himself just as disciplined as ever. Which Hunk thought was unfair in their present dilemma. “He’s probably in his thirties by now.”

“Okay, but can we ask a really important question?” Hunk interjected. “When did Lance give up the fancy Altean pajamas for some common pants? That doesn’t sound like him at all.”

Pidge stared up at the Yellow Paladin, giving him a very unimpressed look. “Really?” she deadpanned. “ _That’s_ your important question? I think Keith was on the right line earlier. Who in the world marries Lance and stays sane for _seven years?_ I can’t imagine him not being dumped or murdered sometime in that timeframe.”

“Okay, guys,” Shiro cut in. He rubbed the scar on his nose, his eyes shut tight. “I know we have a lot of questions, but we also have to be careful which ones get answered. We don’t want to change the future. And I’m sure Lance matures.”

“Shiro, this is _Lance_ we’re talking about,” Keith argued. “I don’t think ‘maturity’ is in his vocabulary.”

Just then, a startled cry rang out in the corridor. Hunk was startled for a moment by how unfamiliar it sounded. Then he noticed the tell-tale signs of Lance struggling grunts afterward.

“If he’s ruined my kitchen –“ Hunk sped out into the corridor and hurried towards the source of the sound.

The kitchen had been spotless just that morning. Hunk took great pride in keeping his most sacred area clean and ready for another experiment. It was either that or Coran chide him on it for ages because he wasn’t ‘the Paladins’ servant’. But now, the once beige walls seemed to be leaking green and pink food goo. The nozzles along the wall were thrown haphazardly on the floor and pooling even more goo onto the floor.

Sitting in the middle of the mess was Lance. The red shirt was pulled up over his nose. Pink goo was plastered to his short hair. His black lounge pants were soaked in green goo and one leg looked to be singed. How he had managed that, Hunk wasn’t sure.

When everyone crowded in the doorway and Hunk’s half-sob broke the silence, Lance looked over at them. The shirt dropped from his nose as he tried to give an apologetic smile.

“They’re a lot more sensitive than I remember,” he murmured. His fingers twirled in the hem of his shirt.

Behind them, Coran sighed. “I’m not cleaning this up,” he said. “But we should get your clothes cleaned. Don’t want to have you sticking when it dries, my boy.”

“Um, you know, I think I’m okay with that?” Lance said as he clutched at the shirt a little more. Suddenly, he looked nervous. Hunk hadn’t seen Lance look so nervous since their first Voltron battles. Why was _laundry,_ of all things, a reason to be nervous? “Think I’ll just spot clean it all. Don’t want to waste precious resources on some dingy clothes.”

“It is almost laundry day anyway, Lance,” Allura commented. Her voice was soft and comforting, seemingly recognizing how uncomfortable Lance was. Her pink and blue eyes softened as she stepped towards him. “It wouldn’t be a bother for us to – “

“No!” Lance stepped backward and crossed his arms over his chest. His blue eyes were wide and frantic. He looked ready to run.

“What is so important about these stupid clothes?” Keith exclaimed.

Lance didn’t answer immediately. When he did, his panic had subsided, replaced with a minute longing and sadness. His grip lessened on the clothes until he was back to ringing a finger in the hem.

“They’re my, uh, partner’s.” Lance looked almost abashed as he answered. “They still smell like them, like my family, and I don’t want to lose that right now. The pants, fine, take them. But not…not the shirt.”

Hunk’s own exasperation at Lance’s antics diminished as he took in those words. For all Lance’s bravado and smiles, he was panicking. He had been transported into the past away from everything he knew and the only comfort he had was a shirt. Hunk felt that if he had been in Lance’s position, a shirt wouldn’t have been enough for him. He likely would have vomited or panicked or passed out by now. Maybe all three.

But now that he was paying more attention, Hunk noticed how the shirt didn’t really fit Lance. Where Lance was tall and lean, the shirt was too short. It barely reached the top of his lounge pants, exposing flesh every time Lance moved. It was also too wide in the arms and chest. The red fabric hung on Lance’s lithe form as if he’d taken Shiro’s clothing while getting dressed in the dark.

“Is your – is your partner a man?” he asked, his voice squeaking.

Hunk knew about Lance’s bisexuality. He hadn’t been ashamed of it during their time at the Garrison and hadn’t let alien gender spectrums stop him in space. But for all Lance’s gender-equality flirting, Hunk had always imagined Lance would marry a female of any species. It didn’t help that all of Lance’s flirting – the young Lance, that was – had been exclusively with female or female-like aliens.

A faint pink flushed Lance’s cheeks. Not a flush of embarrassment; it was more like a joyous flush. His eyes twinkled. The edges of his lips curved upwards until his characteristic crooked smile overtook his face.

“Yeah, yeah he is,” Lance finally answered wistfully. “He’s pretty great too. Boneheaded and an idiot, but pretty great.”

“Why are you wearing his clothes?” Pidge asked, her eyebrows furrowed deep into her eyes.

“Pidgeon,” Lance started, his joyous look overtaken by something more devious, “did you know that something as simple as wearing your husband’s clothes is a _wonderful_ seduction technique?”

“Okay, I quit this conversation.” Pidge brought her tablet up to her nose again and turned back towards the corridor. Before anyone could stop her, she was gone. Keith, red-faced and silent, followed immediately.

Lance’s laugh followed them and reverberated in the kitchen.

“Okay, okay,” Shiro sighed. “I think that’s enough information for now. Lance, let’s get you into something cleaner – yes, you can keep the shirt – and then talk about how to get through the next few days.”

Lance nodded He looked embarrassed over at the goo nozzles and rubbed the back of his neck. “Let me clean this up first,” he said with a soft chuckle. “Can’t exactly leave this mess and expect to survive Hunk’s wrath.”

Hunk liked this Lance.

After a varga, Lance found himself back in the kitchen, now spotless, and was perched on the edge of the counter with a bowl of pink food goo. A loose-fitting Garrison uniform had replaced the pajamas and the pink goo in his hair had been washed out. The red shirt poked out over the top of his partially buttoned uniform top. He looked like a disheveled Garrison officer rather than a misplaced Paladin of Voltron. Hunk found that disconcerting.

Only Hunk and Shiro had followed Lance back to the kitchen. Pidge had decided it was best to avoid Lance in case he made any other sexually charged comments. Allura and Coran wanted to see if there was anything they could do to help the Oxxy’cloain to speed up the charging process. Keith, predictably, was in the training room. No one was surprised by that. It had even made Lance laugh.

“Hunk, I can’t wait for your cooking to get better,” Lance said around a spoonful of goo. While he didn’t seem all too upset about what he was eating, he also didn’t seem too pleased. “I was expecting a feast when I woke up this morning.” He paused. “Okay, not a feast. But you told me you were going to make something special for our anniversary. I’m still expecting it when I get back.”

“Um, I’ll try?”

Lance chuckled.

“Without divulging too much,” Shiro began, “I do have a few questions about our future. Is there anything you can tell us that won’t affect anything?”

The older Red Paladin thought about it for a moment.

“Like you said earlier, that may not be the best idea, Shiro,” Lance argued, but his tone wasn’t very convincing. “If I tell you something that makes you change your mind, then the future may be disrupted.”

“Then tell us something we don’t have control over,” Hunk offered, “or maybe we can just not make any decisions right now. Just listen like it’s a story.”

There was another beat of silence.

“I have a family of my own,” Lance said. His voice was distant as his eyes clouded over. “I know I said I’m married, but I have a son too. He’s about five – we don’t know really – and he’s the light of my life. He’s so incredibly intelligent and passionate and loving for what he’s been through. He can speak three languages already - Spanish, Altean, and - and his other dad's family's language. He has such a big family that he doesn’t know what to do with them all. So many in space and on Earth. When we adopted him, we made a promise to ensure he’d never feel unloved or ever be alone.”

“It sounds like you really love him,” Shiro said softly. 

“Oh man, fatherhood changes you like nothing else,” Lance chuckled. “And it was so sudden too. It’s not like when couples are pregnant and have months to prepare. Just find some kids trapped on an abandoned outpost, and boom! You’re a dad.”

Hunk looked over at Shiro. Where he was expecting wariness in those dark eyes, he instead found a knowing smile. Shiro looked over at the Yellow Paladin then said, “I think I can relate about four-fold.”

A chuckle escaped the older version of Hunk’s friend. “Can – can we keep that tidbit quiet? I think Pidge and Keith are still trying to get over the fact that someone decided to marry me. I don’t really want them to question my parenting ability too.”

Shiro and Hunk gave each other a look then silently nodded in agreement.

Lance took another bite of the pink goo then sighed listlessly. He put his half-empty bowl on the counter and crossed his arms across his chest. With his eyes pointed at the ground, Lance fell silent and twitched his fingers against his biceps. Then he burst out laughing.

Shiro’s eyes widened in surprise. Hunk jumped and almost pulled out his bayard only to remember he’d changed back into his normal clothes when Lance had cleaned the kitchen.

“I just remembered,” Lance said through his laughter, “I’m probably freaking out right now about that in the future! There’s no way that’s something that can be kept hidden in my time.”

“You mean our Lance – “

“Is meeting his future? Yeah, likely,” Lance chuckled. Then he rubbed at his forehead with a pained expression. “I can feel it. My memories – I can’t tell which ones are real. I think I’ve gotten captured three times? No, not at all. Wait, no, that’s four.”

Hunk watched with wide eyes as a scar appeared on Lance’s cheek that definitely wasn’t there a moment ago. Part of his eyebrow disappeared then immediately reappeared

“What’s happening?” he asked, his voice pitched high in panic.

“My younger self is apparently having a crisis?” Lance offered, but it didn’t sound very confident. He rubbed at his forehead a little harder. The mark on his cheek disappeared only to be replaced by a large gouge, pink and fresh and oozing. “I think I’m – he’s trying to figure out his future? And every decision leads to a new memory. Like, what is it, Murphy’s Law?”

“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong?” Shiro supplied.

“I think it’s more like alternate realities,” Hunk suggested. “Lance – our Lance – is making decisions. Each decision makes a different reality happen like a butterfly effect but through time instead of space. Wow! Pidge has to see this!”

Then, just as quickly as it began, it ended. The injury on Lance’s cheek disappeared. The pained expression in his blue eyes faded. Blinking rapidly, Lance looked up at the Paladins then exhaled slowly. Hunk was, admittedly, a little disappointed. He wanted to keep watching and get Pidge's opinion.

“I think I gave up,” he said. “I don’t feel like anything has changed.” Then he looked down at his hand. There on his ring finger lay the crystalline band with a blue and red gem glowing faintly, emanating a soft purple hue across his finger. “Yep, still married.”

“Is there anything we can do to keep our future from changing?” Shiro asked.

Lance took a moment to think, furrowing his eyebrows deep into his blue eyes. Then he sighed and shook his head, his facial expression relaxing almost tentatively. “I can try not to tell you much, but really, it’s up to your Lance not to make any rash decisions,” he concluded apologetically.

Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose. “Our future is in Lance’s hands.”


	4. Repression Depression

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay! My computer decided to stop working, so this had to be put on hold until I got another one. But here we are! This chapter is a little shorter than the others, and a little slower, but hopefully this will pick right back up when I get back into the swing of writing again! Much love!

There was _no way_ that this was real.

Not in this universe.

Lance pinched himself for a fourth time, and just as the other three, nothing changed. The spot above his elbow was surely going to be bruised and black by the time he stopped, but at the time, as he paced, he didn’t care. The floor no longer squeaked under his feet, instead giving way to the path he’d almost worn into the metal flooring.

This. Was. Not. _Real._

His heart raced and beat against his sternum with enough force to break through and make a good-sized dent from the inside of his armor. Even with the cartoonish visual, Lance couldn’t muster a smile.

His hands found his hair again, carding through and ripping small chunks out as they passed.

How in the universe did he have a Galra child with Keith? How did he end up with Keith? Was this a child Keith had fathered with another Galra? Were Keith and Lance’s future self in some weird alien program that made him able to breed?

“I’m not ready to be a dad!” Lance exclaimed to the empty room.

The observatory he had found himself in had been his own private oasis on his Atlas II. No, it wasn’t actually private or expansive like the one on the Castle of Lions. It was just off the port side of the bridge and mainly used for holochats and observing portside flights. But here on a ship that was currently broiled in chaos between a screaming child and a panicking time-traveler, it was just private enough for Lance.

Spinning on the ball of his foot, Lance turned back around and made other manic half-sprint to the other side.

Maybe he wasn’t with Keith. Everyone in Voltron was like family, a secondary space family, so maybe Koli called them all parental names. Lance snorted at the thought of Pidge being called some variation of ‘Mom.’ Shiro was already Space Dad to the Paladins; why couldn’t he be Dad to a space kid? That made more sense than Lance having a kid with Keith, his rival, his leader, his _very subtle I don’t know what you’re talking about_ crush. Because Keith hated him. Maybe not so much now, but at the very least he tolerated Lance for the sake of Voltron. On good days. When Lance was quiet. So, never?

Lance groaned and tore at his hair again. The pain stinging across his scalp helped him clear his thoughts a little. He focused on the pain and how he was certain he had at least three scraps that were bleeding. Rubbing his gloved fingers through his hair had given him something akin to carpet burn; it was enough to give him a chance to breathe. Closing his eyes, he tugged at his hair again then breathed in deeply.

This was not his reality.

His reality would not consist of him having a Galra child with Keith.

His reality would probably consist of him having a wife – alien or human – just like his abuelita wanted, and a hoard of kids like his brother has, and reminiscing about his time in space to anyone who would hear it.

There was no reality where he would confess his feelings to Keith because he would be rejected or dumped or kicked out of Voltron. That made the most sense out of all of this.

The door to the observatory hissed open, breaking Lance from his thoughts. His heart constricted in panic as he turned to face his new company. All the air in his lungs left him in relief as he saw a yellow apron instead of a red leather jacket.

“Hunk,” he sighed. Then he put his back to the wall and slunk down with a soft _thud._

With the barest of smiles, Hunk made his way over to Lance, one arm wrapped around a package, and sat next to the younger Red Paladin.

“You know, this didn’t change,” Hunk murmured. “You seeking out solitude in the observatory. You still do it when you think about home or when Koli has aggravated you to no end or when things get to be too much. I guess you’re a creature of habit at heart, Lance.”

The young Paladin gave a weak chuckle but didn’t speak. His long thin fingers traced the scuff marks on his armor, the white no longer gleaming and clean. It was uncomfortable now to still be wearing it. However, he found it keeping him somewhat grounded. If anything was still real in this dream he’d fallen into, it was his armor.

“This isn’t real, is it?” Lance finally asked, his voice soft and almost begging. Begging for this to be a dream. Begging to wake up in the forest next to Aussilian and be told that the Destiny Arch had malfunctioned. Begging to go back to his team and know this wasn’t real.

“You bet it is, buddy.”

Lance groaned and pulled at his hair again. Hunk swatted at his hands with enough of a pop to make Lance look up at him in surprise.

“Like I said,” Hunk chuckled, “creature of habit.” Then he frowned. “What’s making you think that this isn’t real?”

“Um, did you _see_ that back there?” Lance asked, gesturing towards beyond the door. “The part where I have a kid – a _Galra_ kid – apparently with Keith? Or is Koli just the Voltron kid and I happen to be Papi? What are you, Makua? Pops?”

“Number one: I would be Makuakane,” Hunk counted on his fingers as he spoke, “and number two: no, Koli is your child with Keith. If you don’t believe me, I can show you the security footage of Koli literally blinking out of existence from Keith’s arms.”

Lance scrunched up his nose and stared at Hunk. “How does that prove anything?”

“Because you were in here trying to change the future.” Hunk now looked on the brink of being thunderously angry. His dark eyes flashed as he poked Lance in the chest. Hard. “Your panicking and insecurities nearly took Kolivan away from Keith – from all of us. You were probably in here thinking that there’s _no way_ that Keith, our wonderful leader, Black Paladin, all around great guy Keith, would ever marry you, much less grow a family with you, right?”

He didn’t give Lance a chance to answer.

“Because you’re in here trying to convince yourself that this is a dream or an injury or a drug and that there’s _no way_ you’d ever talk to Keith about what is going on in your head and heart. And because you are so detrimental to Koli being with us, being your son, your decisions right now are taking him away from Keith.” Hunk sighed and ran a hand over his face, schooling his features. He rubbed at his temple.

“H-How did you know that?” Lance whispered.

Hunk let out a sudden, short laugh then looked down at his friend. “Because I’m your best friend, dude,” he smiled. “Have been for nearly twenty years now. And I know you better than I know my Tutu’s recipe book.” He paused. “And I remember. I remember how you and Keith fought and made up for so long trying to repress your feelings for each other. ‘For Voltron,’ or whatever your excuses were. And I remember being sick of it. Dude, the entire team was sick of it. Pidge was ready to shoot you into a broken escape pod _more than once_ just to get you guys to admit you felt _something._ And I remember that when you guys finally got it figured out, Voltron was a bit easier.” He sighed again. “And I remember you coming to my room every few days to vent about Keith and how wonderfully stupid he was or stupidly wonderful and hearing you tear yourself down to convince yourself that your affection couldn’t be reciprocated. Not possible. No way Keith Kogane could ever love a cargo pilot.”

Lance was silent as he took it all in. It felt as if Hunk had stuck a projector in his head and just played his thoughts out like a movie. He had observed and studied that movie enough to give a play-by-play like he was reciting his favorite recipes by heart. And it _hurt._ It hurt to know that someone knew him so well that he couldn’t even keep some of his thoughts secret and sacred. It was freeing at the same time. He didn’t have to explain himself or ramble until a clear thought came to him. Hunk just _knew._

“It just – it doesn’t seem possible, Hunk,” Lance murmured. “Just this morning – or what I think was this morning – Keith was telling me off about how I pilot Red. Telling me to be more careful and stop rushing into battles against his orders. His idea was stupid!” He curled his fists against his knees as he recalled that morning’s battle. “It would have decimated a village! He just wanted to go bayards-blazing instead of think. I didn’t _rush._ He did. I thought it out. I got those kids out of that hut before he even noticed I was gone. Then he goes off on me saying how I could have gotten caught or worse and where would Voltron be if that happened?”

“Quiznack Voltron!” Hunk exclaimed. Lance stared at his older friend in shock. Usually, Hunk would have blushed and apologized for his outburst, but this Hunk didn’t look anything but tired. “That’s the most repeated excuse you idiots have. He cares. He just can’t say it. And you’re so repressed that you would rather fight than admit you care too.”

Lance stare at Hunk, his mouth opened slightly as a retort lay on his tongue. Then it vanished, leaving Lance with nothing but, “I’m not repressed. I know I’m bi.”

Hunk groaned and ran a hand down his face. “Yes, I’m aware. We’re all aware. You’re the most flaming bisexual in the universe.” A chuckle escaped before Hunk’s voice took a slightly softer tone. “Buddy, that’s not what I mean by you being repressed. Not repressed with your ability to love or care or accept your sexuality. Repressed with your own self-love and care and whole acceptance. You tear yourself down so to convince yourself of things that aren’t true so you don’t have to face the rejection. But you’re literally sitting in a reality – in your future where you now _know_ that you at least have a shot at Keith. And with Keith comes Kolivan. Dude, if you give yourself a chance, you’ve got a great family waiting for you.” Then Hunk’s voice turned dangerous again. “And if you don’t give yourself a chance, and I have to watch Kolivan blink out of existence again, I will murder you. Then have Allura bring you back so you can fix it. Got it?”

Lance nodded quickly, almost terrified by the glow in his best friend’s dark eyes, but he knew that Hunk had a point. He had absolutely seen that one of his greatest dreams had come true – a family with someone he cared about. It was just taking his brain a lot longer to process that as reality and not a fever dream with how quick it had changed from when he’d woken that morning. Waking up and being screamed at by the guy he was crushing hard on then to wake up to said crush being a co-parent with him to an adorable purple child was probably the biggest shock to his system his brain had ever received.

“Ok, so Koli is my child with Keith,” Lance said. “How did we get Kolivan? Is there some Galra orphanage out there? Did Keith cheat on me to make this kid? Or did Pidge grow him in the medbay? He looks kinda like Krolia. God, he’s not Krolia’s son and we’re raising him, is he?”

Hunk groaned and pushed himself off the floor. “You know,” he said as he maid his way towards the door, “those are stupid questions that you’ll have to wait for answers. That is if Keith doesn’t kill you first for making Koli disappear.”


End file.
